Abstract: Using a guidance system with a simple configuration, propulsive motion along a longitudinal direction and changing of the propulsion direction are easily performed with good precision and stability. There is provided a capsule-type medical apparatus 201 which is inserted into the body of a subject and is guided by an external magnetic field, the capsule-type medical apparatus 201 comprising: a substantially cylindrical capsule 202; a propulsion mechanism 207 for converting rotary motion about a longitudinal axis R of the capsule 202 into propulsive motion along the longitudinal axis R; a magnet 205 accommodated inside the capsule 202 and disposed in such a manner that the magnetic-pole direction thereof can be switched between a direction along the longitudinal axis R and a direction intersecting the longitudinal axis R; and a securing portion 212 for securing the magnet 205 to the capsule 202 in each of the switched states of the magnetic-pole direction.

Abstract: A capsule type medical device, including: a capsule shaped casing which can be ingested to within the living body; an electrical stimulation device which comprises a plurality of electrodes which are used for applying electrical stimuli to living body tissue; an electrode selection device which selects an electrode from among the plurality of electrodes, to apply an electrical stimulus; a contact detection device which electrically detects the electrode which is in contact with the living body tissue; and a control section which controls the various devices.

Abstract: A capsule medical apparatus includes a reaction plane on which one or more kinds of reacting substance reacting with an internal substance in the body to be examined are fixed, wherein the reacting substance is chemical reacting substance or biochemical reacting substance, and an analyzer detects and analyzes the substance reacted with the reaction plane or a trace of the reaction outside of the body to be examined.

Abstract: A body-insertable apparatus that can reduce the apparatus size and perform projection operation of an injection needle in a power saving manner is provided. A body-insertable apparatus 1 according to the present invention has a balloon 4 for storing a medical fluid in a capsule-like casing 2, and an injection needle 5 including an elastic membrane 6. The body-insertable apparatus 1 discharges the medical fluid due to contraction of the balloon 4, applies a discharge pressure of the medical fluid to the elastic membrane 6 to expand the elastic membrane 6, and projects the injection needle 5 from the casing 2 due to the expansion of the elastic membrane 6. Further, the body-insertable apparatus 1 has a channel forming unit 11 for forming a channel 11a connecting to the balloon 4 and a channel 11b connecting to the injection needle 5, and a communication adjusting mechanism 12.

Abstract: A body-insertable apparatus is introduced in a subject to perform at least one of input and output of a predetermined fluid to and from the subject. The body-insertable apparatus includes a reservoir (2) in which the predetermined fluid is stored; a first communicating channel (4) whose one end is opened to an inside of the reservoir, the first communicating channel (4) being extended in a predetermined direction; a second communicating channel (5) whose one end is opened to an outside space of the body-insertable apparatus, the second communicating channel (5) being extended in a direction substantially parallel to the first communicating channel (4), and the second communicating channel (5) partially running parallel to the first communicating channel (4); and a control mechanism (6) which controls a communication state between the first communicating channel (4) and the second communicating channel (5).

Abstract: A capsule medical apparatus includes a capsule housing 3 having a protruded portion on a long axis at one end. The protruded portion is on a straight line lvm connecting a center of buoyancy Pv and a center of gravity Pm when the capsule housing is in liquid 7 in a body cavity, and the protruded portion is formed so that at least one straight line is present which passes a point Pf at which buoyant moment produced by buoyancy acting on the center of buoyancy Pv and gravitational moment produced by gravity acting on the center of gravity Pm are balanced and which intersects perpendicularly with an outer surface of the protruded portion. The inclined posture allows the capsule housing to receive a large fluid resistance against the liquid 7. Moreover, the capsule endoscope 1 can easily move along the flow of the liquid 7 because the capsule endoscope 1 is in the point contact state with the inner wall surface 2a.

Abstract: A medical device control system improves an inducing stability and operability of a medical device having its direction controlled with magnetism, which is used for the inspection or treatment in a subject's body. The control system is formed of a medical device including an insertion member inserted into the subject's body, and a magnetic field response portion disposed within the insertion member for generating torque in response to the magnetic field applied from outside the subject's body, a direction detection unit that detects an insertion direction of the insertion member, a user interface through which the information with respect to the control of the insertion direction is input and output, a magnetic field generation portion that generates a magnetic field that directs the insertion member to a control direction, and a user interface control unit that controls the user interface based on a discordance between the control direction and the insertion direction.

Abstract: An intra-subject observation system includes a first liquid inserted into a desired organ of a subject; and a second liquid inserted into the organ without being mixed with the first liquid due to a specific gravity lighter than that of the first liquid. The system also includes a capsule medical apparatus inserted into the organ with an intermediate specific gravity between the specific gravity of the first liquid and that of the second liquid to acquire intra-subject information, which is output out of the subject by radio.

Abstract: A housing apparatus includes housing units in which a plurality of permanent magnets are housed, respectively; binding units which are arranged in the housing units, respectively, and bind the permanent magnets in the housing units, respectively; permanent magnet detectors which are arranged in the housing units, respectively, and detect whether the permanent magnets are housed in the housing units, respectively; and a control unit which controls the binding units to selectively keep the permanent magnets in a binding state or a nonbinding state on the basis of detection results of the permanent magnet detectors.

Abstract: A body-insertable apparatus which can make the volume smaller by simplifying a mechanism taking in or throwing out predetermined fluid is realized. The body-insertable apparatus has a configuration having, in a housing, a balloon member, a communication adjusting mechanism, a control circuit, and a power source part and forms a storage chamber by the balloon member and an outer circumferential member (sheet holding substrate and part of the housing) covering the outer surface of the balloon member. In the body-insertable apparatus, a first communication pipe communicated with the inner space of the balloon member and a second communication pipe communicated with the outer space are formed. The communication adjusting mechanism communicates the first communication pipe with the second communication pipe based on an electric current output from the control circuit. The inner space of the balloon member is communicated with the outside of the body-insertable apparatus.

Abstract: A body-insertable device is introduced into a desired part in a body for injecting a liquid medicine stored in a casing into the desired part. The body-insertable device includes a projecting portion which projects an injection needle injecting the liquid medicine toward the desired part; a detecting unit which detects a position relation between a biological tissue surface in the desired part and the injection needle; and a control unit. The control unit controls an amount of projection of the injection needle according to the position relation detected by the detecting unit, and controls a puncture depth of the injection needle from the biological tissue surface.

Abstract: A body-insertable apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is introduced into a subject to inject medical agent stored in a casing into a desired part in the subject. The body-insertable apparatus includes a fixing unit which fixes the casing to the desired part; and a projecting unit which projects, from the casing, an injection needle for injecting the medical agent. The fixing unit and the projecting unit are driven by a driving source.

Abstract: This in vivo observation device is equipped with a capsular casing that is taken orally into the body, and an observation device provided within said casing which observes the inside of the body through an observation wall surface of said casing; and, is provided with a contact auxiliary device that causes the observation wall surface to closely contact to body tissue during observation.

Abstract: This in vivo device is provided with a capsular casing and a foreign object removing device. The capsular casing is taken into a living body. The foreign object removing device removes a foreign object between a surface of a body tissue and the casing.

Abstract: A posture and a position of a capsule endoscope 31 in a fluid 7 are made unstable and susceptible to an influence of a flow of the fluid 7 by constructing the capsule endoscope in such a way that the capsule endoscope 31 is equipped in a capsule casing having an approximately cylindrical trunk, a center of gravity of the capsule endoscope 31 is approximately in a volume center, and a specific gravity of the capsule endoscope 31 is approximately equal to that of the fluid 7 injected into a body cavity, thereby causing the capsule endoscope 31 to move to an intraluminal center using a difference of flow rate of the fluid 7 generated in large intestine and the like where a luminal diameter is large to stably capture desired intraluminal images by an imaging optical system.

Abstract: A capsule-type medical apparatus holds a drug such that a drug release such as dissolution can be realized under the same condition as in a case where the drug is delivered to an interior of a living body by itself, and realizes confirmation on whether the drug delivered to the interior of the living body is actually released to a site in the living body or not. The capsule-type medical apparatus includes a capsule-like casing which is formed in a suitable size for insertion into the living body, a net-like drug holding unit which houses a drug in a releasable manner with respect to a site in the living body, and an imaging unit which captures an image covering the drug held in the drug holding unit and a surrounding area of the drug. The imaging unit 4 captures an image as drug-source information indicating a release condition of the drug with respect to the site in the living body.

Abstract: The present invention has an object to make it possible for a patient to take in a plurality of ingesta materials accurately and easily in a specific order. A capsule housing apparatus 6 according to the present invention houses a capsule endoscope 3 and a first fluid 7 in a housing area 12 of a package 10 and a second fluid 8 in another housing area 11 of the package 10. A partition wall 13 that penetrably separates the housing areas 11, 12 is provided between the housing areas 11, 12 of the package 10. The capsule housing apparatus 6 having such a configuration makes the first fluid 7, capsule endoscope 3, and second fluid 8 suppliable to the patient in the specific order based on numbers marked on the package 10 over the housing areas 11, 12.

Abstract: A medical system includes: a medical device to be inserted into the body cavity; a rotating device for the medical device for rotating the medical device around the insertion axis; an image pickup device provided to the medical device; and an image capturing timing detection device for detecting a signal regarding image capturing timing performed by the image pickup device. Furthermore, the medical system includes: a rotating angle acquisition device for acquiring the rotating angle of the rotating device for the medical device regarding the image capturing timing in response to the output of the image capturing timing detection device; and an image acquisition device for performing rotation processing for the image captured by the image pickup device based upon the information regarding the rotating angle acquired by the rotating angle acquisition device, thereby acquiring the image subjected to a rotation processing.

Abstract: A medical apparatus has an insertion unit inserted in the body cavity of the living body. A position/posture detecting unit detects at least one of the position and the posture of the insertion unit. Magnetic field generating units are arranged in an axisymmetrical manner on the substantially plane, and includes at least three electromagnets having magnetizing directions substantially orthogonal to the plane. A magnetic field control unit controls a magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generating unit. A position/posture varying unit varies a relative position/posture between the magnetic field generating unit and the insertion unit in accordance with position and posture information of the insertion unit obtained by the position/posture detecting unit. The magnetic field control unit controls the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generating unit that is applied to a magnetic field operated unit arranged to the insertion unit, thereby guiding the medical apparatus.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is that the examiner easily picks up a series of images over a desired region in a desired digestive tract without such troublesome examination work that the examiner successively knows the imaging field to the inside of the digestive tract. A body-insertable device system of the invention includes a capsule endoscope 1, a permanent magnet 3, and a position display sheet 2. In the capsule endoscope 1, a imaging unit for picking up the images of the insides of an subject 100, and a magnet are contained in a casing. The capsule endoscope sends a radio signal containing information of the images of the insides of the subject 100 to outside the capsule endoscope. The permanent magnet 3 generates a magnetic field for application to the capsule endoscope 1 in liquid Lq1 having been introduced into the subject 100 and changes at least one of a position and a posture of the capsule endoscope 1 by the magnetic field.